Winding system and apparatus



Jan. 11, 1949. R. B ouvE'r WINDING SYSTEM AND APPARATUS Filed Sept. 19;194sv IN VEN TOR.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- WINDING SYSTEM 'AND APPARATUS Rene Bouvet,Drexel Hill, Pa., assignor to American Viscose Corporation, Wilmington,Del., a corporation of Delaware Application September 19, 1945, SerialNo. 617,225

systems have several disadvantages.

reason whatsoever.

12 Claims. (Cl. 28-51) This invention relates to a system and apparatusfor winding filamentary materials, such as yarns, cords, and the likefrom one or more wound supply packages to a take-up package. Itparticularly concerns an arrangement involving unwinding from a packageover its end by means of a freely rotatable flyer.

Heretofore, frictional drag systems have been I used to control therotation of the flyer. Such One of the main difllculties is to obtain aproper system whereby there will not be excessive tension imparted toyarns, particularly small size or low denier yarns, but will still exertsufilcient frictional effect to prevent excessive unwinding of thethread from the package after the take-up means has ceased operation,When this occurs, an excessive amount of slack is produced so that theremay be a. number of loose coils lying about the package or hangingtherefrom. This condition gives rise to serious troubles particularly ifit arises in connection with one or more packages mounted in a creelwhere the coils of one package may become entangled with those of anadjacent package.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a flyer controlledunwinding system in which the flyer is freely. rotatable and the tensionduring unwinding is applied independently of the fiyer. A further objectof the invention is to provide means for bringing this flyer to a stopupon stoppage of the take-up means for any Other objects and advantagesof the invention will be apparent from the drawing and descriptionthereof hereinafter.

The drawing illustrates one embodiment of the invention particularly inrelation to the warpingfrom a plurality of supply packages mount-. ed ina creel. It is to be understood, however, that the invention isapplicable generally to the winding of yarns from onepackage to another,such as from a spool, cone, or cake" of rayon or other filamentarymaterial, such as is produced in the conventional spinningbucket of theartificial filament industry, to a warp beam, to a cone winder, copwinder, twister or the like.

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of a warping system utilizing the'in-vention,

Figure 2 is a partially diagrammatic view showing one pair of thepackages arranged for unwinding in the creel of Figure l and showingsystematically the electrical connections -for controlling the windingsystem,

Figure 3 is a view of the guiding hook of the freely rotatable.

flyer as viewed in an axial direction when in place over the package,and

Figure 4 is a cross section showing the luncture between post 4 and theflyer plug assembly.

In general, as shown in Figure 2, a support 2 is provided for receivinga package 3 to be unwound. The support 2 carries a spindle or hollow rod4 upon which the flyer E is mounted so that it is The rod 4 constitutesa core member adapted to receive a package thereabout.

The flyer 5 is provided with a, thread guiding eye-.

let, hook, or equivalent thread guiding surface 8 adjacent the end of anarm 5a which is bent aroundthe periphery of the package 3. The flyer 5may have two such arms 5a to provide good balance and each arm'may havean eyelet 8 so that either may be threaded at will. The supporting rod 4carries an electromagnet l in proximity to a suitable magnetic element 8of ferrous material secured to the flyer or integral therewith. Theleads 9 from the electromagnet are connected in a suitable circuithereinafter more particularly described so that the magnet is energizedupon stoppage of the take-up device as will be pointed out hereinafter.-The magnet l induces eddy currents in the associated element 8, and mayin some cases lift the element 8 into frictional engagement with theadjacent face of the magnet i.

From the flyer, the thread proceeds through a suitable guide, as thepulley I 0, and then through a suitable tension device, such as a. diskII to the take-up means such as the warp beam l2 of Figure 1. wound on asingle package, the warp beam may be replaced by anotherform of windingmachine, such as a cone winding machine and a suitable connection may beprovided to energize the magnet 1 upon stoppage of such winding machine.As shown in the specific embodiment of Figures 1 and 2, where aplurality of threads coming from a plurality of supply the pair, thejoined thread beingreleasably heldby a suitablespring clip l4 secured tothe support 2. The leading end 31) of the reserve package is lacedthrough the idle flyer 5 so that it is in readiness to deliver threadafter the first package is exhausted. Upon such exhaustion.

the thread flies out of the guiding hook 6, out of When a singlethread'is to be the spring clip ll of the fiyer associated with theexhausted package and unwinding immediately proceeds from the adjacentpackage. The form of the guide hook 6 is better shown in Figure 3 asviewed axially of the package. 1

Conveniently, as shown more particularly in Figure 4, the fiyer assemblycomprises the fiyer 5 freely rotatably mounted on the plug la which mayhave two metallic prongs l5 extending into suitable sockets in the endof rod 4 which sockets are provided with metal springs l6 formingelectrical connections to supply the electromagnet I. A guiding plate tois preferably used to prevent the yarn being withdrawn over the end ofthe package from sloughing oil the outer windings over the end of thepackage and when used, this plate may be secured to the plug so that itis removable therewith. Upon removal of the fiyer assembly, a freshpackage may be inserted over the supporting post 4 and the fiyerassembly with or without the plate 8a may be inserted in placethereover. The leading end of the fresh package may then be secured tothe trailing end 3a of the adjacent package being unwound,- the tiedends being inserted in the spring clip l4 and then into the hook ofguide 6 of the fiyer. By repetition of this procedure after exhaustionof each package, a continuous supply of thread can be obtained from aplurality of individual packages unwound in succession withoutinterruption of the take-up.

In the warping arrangement, the threads proceed through eyeboards 20through the eyelets 2| of drop wires 22 pivotally mounted on a rod 23.The drop wires are shown in perspective in Figure 2 and have securedthereunder a metallic inverted U-shaped member 24 arranged so that eachdepending prong thereof will fall into a respective one of the twomercury troughs 25 and 26 which extend across and under the warp sheetof threads. Each of the troughs is connected in an electric circuit inseries with the leads to the electromagnets i so that when a drop wire22 falls as a result of loss of tension in the thread or breakagethereof, the circuit is closed to energize the electromagnets l of allsupply packages being used. The same circuit may include a relay 30which upon energizatlon as the result of the falling of a drop wireopens the switch ill to stop the motor l3, and closes a switch 32 whichoperates a solenoid 33 for retracting latch 36, thereby allowing spring35 to apply the brake S6 to stop the warp beam P2 or other take-updevice. After stoppage is complete, the operator may open the controlswitch 39 thereby disconnecting the power supply lines illfrom theentire system. A switch 4| may be provided for manual stoppage of thewarp beam and it will be noted that when this switch is closed, the sameeffect will be obtained as if a drop wire had fallen into the mercurytroughs. It is to be understood that the various connections andspecific devices for stopping the motor and for braking the warp beamare shown for illustrative purposes only and equivalent devices andmodified connecting systems may be used for the purpose set forth.

The present invention therefore provides for the over-end unwinding ofone or more packages by means of a freely rotatable fiyer, theapplication of tension to the unwinding thread independently of thefiyer, and the quick stoppage of the fiyer upon stoppage of the windingtake-up. This system allows accurate control of the tension to beapplied to the yarn which depends upon the size of the particular yarnbei g hendied. It assures that the windings can be withdrawn easily evenfrom rayon cakes by providing a guiding surface on the fiyer alongsidethe periphery of the cake. The arrangement also prevents sloughing of!of windings over the end of.

the cake and prevents the development of loose loops of thread around orhanging from the package being unwound. I

The invention can be applied to the unwinding of any form of woundpackage containingfllam'entary material of any character, such as yarnsof natural or artificial fibers or filaments, such as those of cotton,wool, silk, rayon, nylon, resins, such as polyvinyl chloride,polyvinylidene chloride, copolymers of vinyl acetate or acrylonitrile,casein, etc. The invention is also adaptable to the winding of yarnshaving any size or denier which is a characteristic of great importanceresulting from the complete divorcing of the tensioning means from thefiyer. It is to be understood that changes and variations may be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as definedin the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In apparatus for winding thread and the like from wound packages,stationary supporting means for a wound supply package, fiyer meanscarried by the support and having thread guide means arranged to receivethe thread unwinding from the package and to turn about the Package inresponse to the passage of the thread with respect thereto, electricbraking means for bringing the fiyer means to a stop, driven take-upmeans for winding the thread into a package, means for stopping thetake-up means, and

' means for operating the braking means upon stoppage of the take-upmeans.

2. In apparatus for winding thread and the like from wound packages,stationary supporting means for a Wound supply package, fiyer meanscarried by the support and having guide means arranged to receive thethread unwinding from the package and to turn about the package inresponse to the passage of the thread with respect thereto,electromagnetic braking means for bringing the fiyer means to a stop,driven takeup means for winding the thread into a package, means forstopping the take-up means, and means for operating the braking meansupon stoppage of the take-up means.

3. In apparatus for winding thread and the like from wound packages,stationary supporting means for a wound supply package. freely rotatablefiyer means carried by the support and having thread guide meansarranged to receive the like from wound packages, stationary supportingmeans for a wound supply package, freely rotatable fiyer means carriedby the support and having thread guide-means arranged to receive thethread unwinding from the package and to turn about the package inresponse to the passage of the thread with respect thereto,electromagnetic braking. means for bringing the fiyer means to a stop,driven take-up means for winding the thread into a package, means forstopping the take-up means, and means for operating the braking meansupon stoppage of the take-up means.

5. In apparatus for warping thread and the like from wound packages,stationary supporting means for a plurality of supply packages, flyermeans for each package carried by the supporting means and arranged toreceive the thread unwinding from the associated package and to turnabout said package in response to the passage of the thread with respectthereto, electric braking means for substantialy simultaneously bringingall of the flyer means to a stop, driven take-up means for winding thethread from the several supply packages side by side into a common woundpackage, means for stopping the take-up means, and means for operatingthe braking means upon stoppage of the take-up means.

' passage of the thread with respect thereto, elec- 6. In apparatus forwarping thread and the like from wound packages, stationary supportingmeans for a plurality of supply packages, freely rotatable flyer meansfor each package carried by the supporting means and arranged to receivethe thread unwinding from the associated package and to turn about saidpackage in response -to the passage of the thread with respect thereto,

electromagnetic braking means for substantially simultaneously bringingall of the flyer means to a stop, driven take-up means for winding thethread from the several supply packages side by side into a common woundpackage, means for stopping the take-up means, and means for operatingthe braking means upon stoppage of the take-up means.

7. In apparatus for'wlnding thread and the like from wound packages,stationary supporting means for a wound supply package, freely rotatableflyer means carried by the support and having thread guide meansarranged to receive the thread unwinding from the package and to turnabout the package in response to the passage of the thread with respectthereto, electric braking means for bringing the flyer means to a stop,driven take-up means for winding the thread into a package, meansindependent of the flyer i'or tensioning the thread as it proceeds fromthe flyer means to the take-up means, means for stopping the take-upmeans, and means for operating the braking means upon stoppage of thetake-up means.

8. In apparatus for winding thread and the like from wound packages,stationary supporting means for a wound supply package, freely rotatableflyer means carried by the support and having thread guide meansarranged to receive the threadunwinding from the package and to turntromagnetic braking means for substantially simultaneously bringing allof the flyer means to a stop, driven take-up means for winding thethread from the several supply packages side by side into a common woundpackage, means for stopping the take-up means, and means for operatingthe braking means upon stoppage of the take-up means.

10. An arrangement for unwinding a wound package comprising a support, ahollow rod projecting endwise from the support to receive the packagethereabout, a flyer rotatably carried by the rod adjacent the and awayfrom the support,-

said flyer comprising a magnetic element near the rod, an electromagnetfixedly secured to the .rod adjacent the magnetic element for stoppingthe flyer, and electric wiring leads extending through the hollow rod tothe electromagnet.

.11. An arrangement for unwinding a wound package comprising a coremember to receive the package thereabout, a detachable mounting element,interengaging coupling members on the core member and mountingelement,-a flyer freely rotatably carried by the element, andelectromagnetic means on the element for stopping the flyer.

12. An arrangement for unwinding a wound package comprising a coremember to receive the package thereabout, a detachable mounting element,interengaging coupling members on the core member and mounting element,a flyer freely rotatably carried by the element and electromagneticmeans on the element for stopping the flyer, said coupling membersserving .both as a mechanical coupling for supporting the element and asan electrical coupling for connecting the electromagnetic means to asource of power.

- RENE BOUVET.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

